The Sunday Salon: What I’ll be Reading in May

Where did April go? It’s been a fairly slow month for me, book-wise. I read 4 of the 5 books in my April book stack, and I’m not even finished with the fourth one. Granted, it’s the fourth movement of A Dance to the Music of Time, and the longest volume yet at about 800 pages. Realistically, I probably never had a prayer of finishing all 5 books, but looking at the page count I “should” have finished 4. But it’s not a contest, is it? I guess I should just relax and get on with May. Here’s what I have in store:

From top to bottom:

A Dance to the Music of Time (Fourth Movement), by Anthony Powell: The bookmark is sitting right between the second and third novella. About 270 pages to go. This volume is a bit slower than the earlier ones, and that’s saying something because not much really “happens” in any of them.

Poor Caroline, by Winifred Holtby: This is another carryover from April, that fifth book I didn’t get to. It’s a new Virago edition, which is just being released in the US by Trafalgar Square Publishing.

A Game of Hide and Seek, by Elizabeth Taylor: This is the Elizabeth Taylor Centenary May readalong. I always enjoy Taylor’s books, and some critics thought it her best novel. I’m eager to see for myself!

Dark Fire, by C.J. Sansom: The second in a series of Tudor-era mysteries that I just discovered this year. Quite a chunkster, as you can see, but I’ve heard it’s a relatively quick read.

None to Accompany Me, by Nadine Gordimer: The oldest book on my TBR shelf! I added it to my LibraryThing catalog four years ago. I assumed I picked it up after reading her Booker Prize-winning novel, The Conservationist, but that’s not the case so I’m not sure what prompted me to buy it. Fortunately I haven’t lost interest in reading it!

Finally on my Kindle, there’s George Eliot’s Middlemarch. TheTeam Middlemarch discussion of Book III Waiting for Death, is scheduled for May 19. I need to read about 50 pages by then.

Applying some of April’s realism, that’s probably enough to keep me busy for the month. But just in case, I have a couple more possibilities available at my local library:

The Observations, by Jane Harris: I just bought her latest, Gillespie and I, and want to read this one first.

Carry Me Down, by M. J. Hyland: This Booker Prize nominee caught my attention when I was perusing the backlist.

14 thoughts on “The Sunday Salon: What I’ll be Reading in May”

I haven’t finally decided on all my May reading yet. I will be reading A game of Hiode and seek too Laura – I have a modern edition – but have naughtily ordered a nice green Virago edition from Abebooks. I (along with other readers in the group) will be reading the next Thomas Hardy book in my Hardy challenge – The Return of the native. There are 2 or 3 books from last months pile I haven’t read either – because I got distracted by other books – can’t decide whether to add them to May’s pile or not. I want to read a Persephone – can’t decide which one of the 4 tbr – and I have pre-ordered the sequel to Wolf Hall – which is out here in the UK in hardback on 10th May – so I may read that when it comes – it’s a big book so will probably take me a whole week to read – I usually read 2 – 3 books in a week. Oh what to read next? – is always such a dilemma!

I’m planning to read the first CJ Sansom book, Dissolution.
Carry Me Down is one I keep wanting to read and it yells at me every time I look at my library list, but probably not in May. I’m 150 pages from finishing Gillespie and I, and I plan to read The Song of Achilles in May before the Orange prize is announced.
I’ve got another Carol Shields to read this month, Swann, that I am really looking forward to.

Heheh, like your comment about nothing ever really happening in those stories anyway! I admire the way you stick to your books even if it means pushing them into the next reading month; by then my reading mood may have changed completely and it could be years before I get back to a book that I miss on the first attempt! My May? I’m planning to tidy up my Current Reading stack, which has blossomed in a satisfyingly uncontrollable way.

BIP, I appreciate your admiration but in this case I’m not worthy. Poor Caroline is a review copy from the US distributor, and I agreed to publish a review in May. Cleaning up your “current reading” stack sounds like a noble pursuit — I wish you luck!